Topic of the Hour, Naegiri Oneshot
by Ramenhead
Summary: Kirigiri loses sleep whilst actively searching for evidence to support Naegi's case. Amidst her hard work she forgets all about Girls' Day, but Naegi will always be there to remind her.


Work had become the main topic of the hour lately.

Alright, perhaps in that context, it sounded negative. It was actually quite the contrary, considering how work contributed towards the safety of all remaining humanity under despair. But Kirigiri Kyoko, the irreplaceable brains behind a series of complex investigations, hadn't allowed herself a proper night's rest ever since Naegi Makoto was suspected of hiding the Remnants of Despair. Evidence against that claim was waiting to be found by her, although it most likely didn't exist. But as Naegi Makoto's boss and incredibly close friend, Kirigiri was unable to shake off the intense worry of watching him leave the Future Foundation without her.

Sure, Kirigiri had faith in him to keep up hope, but her fingers were tapping away at her laptop's keyboard before she realized it.

In consideration of a worst case scenario, she worked harder.

Redundant clicks of her clock resonated from behind the lavender-haired beauty, mismatched with the hectic tapping on her keyboard. Dark circles had accumulated under her elegant eyes at some point and her cascading lavender hair, though soft and silky, had become tangled.

Kirigiri couldn't care less about her physical appearance when evidence was waiting.

Yet, inevitably, several of her colleagues had announced their surprise while strolling past her. "Wow Kyoko, you look exhausted. Maybe you should ask the chairman for a day off?"

The answer was always a candid no.

Three mugs of coffee and a horrendous headache later, and Kirigiri's body had reached its limit. The detective slumped over her desk, her consciousness quickly fading and her gloved hands providing a temporary pillow for her throbbing head. Generally Kirigiri never allowed herself naps, but she was utterly drained. No pieces of evidence were turning up and the frenzied emotions inside of her were impossible to calm. No one but Naegi Makoto possessed the ability to read her inner conflicts, thus no one was able to convince her to properly sleep.

The close pair had become even closer over the years and they depended on each other. Words couldn't explain their bond with each other, but through the nightmares and the stress, Kirigiri knew she could visit Naegi's room late at night and strike up a conversation without being bombarded with unnecessary questions. At this point, he had become her anchor for hope. And having worked under Kirigiri's branch, Naegi acquired an especially diligent and positive attitude whilst providing her with paperwork and poking her awake when she dozed off. Even now, in her dazed state, Kirigiri could imagine Naegi's slightly blurry and worried expression as his rough finger grazed against her cheek. "Kirigiri-san?" He would mutter, and by now Kirigiri was almost convinced he was actually attempting to awaken her.

And he was.

"Ah…" A brief sigh escaped the detective as her vision focused onto Naegi's familiar emerald eyes, filled with both affection and worry. "..Thank you for waking me up, Naegi-kun." The detective muttered, channeling all of her inner strength to lift her head. Her glaring laptop screen in front of her was quite unwelcoming to the eye, thus she kept her blank violet eyes focused on her companion. "Have you finished work?"

The brunette had offered a small nod after straightening himself, a familiar smile etching onto his lips. "Yeah, I did. I did everything you told me to, but I had something else to do too so I came late. Are you done yet? Everyone else is gone." He gestured around the empty workplace, which had become a frequent environment for the lavender-haired detective.

"No." And she wouldn't be finished for a long while. Kirigiri's eyes flickered to the screen where Naegi's resume had been previewed. "Unfortunately my work might keep me up tonight. Feel free to go rest."

In the corner of her eye, Kirigiri had noticed him fidgeting with something behind his back. Being a detective, nothing escaped her sights. Naegi was painfully aware of this, and spoke before she could question anything. "You need it more than me, so how about you take a break for tonight? You didn't sleep yesterday either. Come on Kirigiri-san, your health is more important. Please?" He spoke with a pleading tone and lightly bounced, his tie rustling around on his chest. "And plus.. today's a special day."

Kirigiri hadn't planned on agreeing to his request, but his last words had certainly piqued her interest. With a curious raise of her brow, she inquired, "A special day?"

Kirigiri observed as Naegi's face flamed into an interesting shade of red and he handed her a small baggie, bashfully glancing away. "I thought you might forget, so I had to get you a present." His hesitant eyes returned to her, with a large smile to follow. "I searched high and low for its ingredients today. Hagakure-kun was laughing at me." A laugh accompanied his touching words.

Through all of Naegi's revelations, Kirigiri couldn't resist flashing him a miniscule smile. Being a detective, she could easily connect the dots. He had worked overtime with Hagakure simply to shape this present for her. This klutzy boy, whom she had invested her absolute trust in and displayed the scars on her hands to, had been thinking of her all day while she struggled to save him. That was enough to draw a light chuckle from her throat and a nod. "Thank you." She muttered, before delicately spreading the bag open by its handles.

Inside was a sticky rice cake, colored white and peach-pink and delicately wrapped in transparent gift paper. It was a common food to be consumed with family on Hinamatsuri, also known as Girls' day in Japan. Kirigiri found herself speechless as she gazed upon the confectionary. When was the last time she had celebrated Girls' day, nonetheless with a close friend? "This is rare. I haven't seen one of these in years." The detective commented whilst plucking off a piece and delicately placing it into her mouth. "Thank you, Naegi-kun. It's very delicious." She flashed him another small smile out of pure appreciation.

If even possible, Naegi's expression had brightened even further. His once-tense shoulders were able to relax and his hands had balled into fists. "I'm glad you like it!"

"But," Kirigiri started, her voice stoic as ever despite her playful intentions. "I suppose you hadn't gifted this to anyone else considering its rarity?"

Contrary to Kirigiri's expectations, Naegi's face had somehow dyed itself red and he laughed nervously: he only ever laughed nervously when weaving his way around a subject, she noticed. "W-Well, no. I didn't. Usually I gift it to family members, like my mom and Komaru." Naegi's hesitant eyes briefly flickered over to her before suddenly his confidence evaporated and he was left staring at her computer screen. "But since they're not around this year, I wanted to give it to the next person I consider family.." He trailed off, emerald orbs hesitantly clashing with violet. "So… uh.."

Kirigiri had been rendered silent. Naegi had spent the entire day searching for something that would captivate her, while she spent the day soullessly tapping away at her laptop to no fruition. Her heart throbbed. Although her expression was blank, her emotions were expressed through a tint of pink that rudely displayed itself on her pale cheeks. "I didn't see you as the type to play with a maiden's heart using riddles, Naegi-kun." This was how Kirigiri dealt with her own bashfulness: she teased him. Such behavior stemmed from the first time he had complimented her smile at Hope's Peak Academy.

"Huh?!" The brunette gasped, suddenly flailing in order to clear up any misunderstandings. "No, I didn't mean-!"

"I'm joking." The detective blankly explained, a hint of amusement waltzing within her voice.

Naegi paused abruptly, his hands awkwardly returning to his sides. "Oh.." He flushed darker, reminded of their fun attempts of teasing each other at Hope's Peak. Three seconds passed for him to regain his composure and he cleared his throat. "Anyways Kirigiri-san, you should really rest now. I can finish up the rest of the work for you." The brunette bent slightly to take her gloved hands in his, squeezing them very gently in fear of hurting her scarred hands. "Today's Girls' day. You deserve a day off more than anyone. Well- not just because you're a girl, but because you work so hard." The worry not only shone in his eyes, but through his energy flowing through her fingers despite the leather separating their skin. An even tighter squeeze urged her on.

Kirigiri forgot all about work and time.

She was determined to save him not through fruitless investigations, but through communication. Because she believes in him, and she was certain that everyone else would believe in him too, as long as he keeps up hope.

Their fingers had intertwined and Kirigiri stared at the difference in their hands; skin versus leather. Naegi was still awaiting her answer, but gasped in concern as she pulled away to remove the bothersome gloves to review her horrific scars. No words were spoken, but glances were exchanged. Fingers were intertwined again and Naegi's breath was held. Emerald was firmly locked onto violet.

Naegi's breath was released when Kirigiri actually smiled. He was mesmerized. His entire being was relaxed and instead of treating her hands with extreme caution, his thumbs smoothed across the bumps and ridges to understand the trust she had provided him with.

Because after all, Naegi considered her family..  
and Kirigiri never revealed her scars to those she didn't consider family.

The next main topic of the hour was family,  
expressed through warm smiles and gentle pecks to Kirigiri's scarred but beautiful hands.


End file.
